In praise of state-ism

CALIFORNIA’S new laws liberalising cannabis are a good idea, but some of their provisions read like a parody of 21st-century liberalism. To right an injustice—that brown people were more likely than white ones to be charged when the police found marijuana on them—Los Angeles plans to help those with marijuana convictions set up pot shops. This experiment may turn out to be a foolish mistake (see ). But that, in a way, is the point. Congress finds it notoriously hard to pass meaningful laws and finds it almost as hard to undo legislation that has been on the books for a long time. Statehouses, governors and mayors are more nimble.Sure enough, the Golden State is greeting 2018 with a host of innovations. Firms with at least 20 employees will have to offer them 12 weeks’ unpaid parental leave. Schools in poor areas will have a legal duty to feed pupils whose parents cannot afford meals. Elsewhere, Tennessee has a new law protecting free-speech rights on campus. Washington now requires employers to provide paid sick leave. Such state-level energy is welcome, partly because it generates useful policy innovation, partly because it mitigates the trauma of a divided country. But to succeed it demands a change of attitude from both parties.